You're reading: Foreign diplomats condemned Friday’s beating of activists

Carl Bildt,  Foreign Minister of Sweden, expressed concern about beatings of activists by “Berkut” near the building of the Sviatoshynskyi local police office. He said the violence against protesters in Kiev very worrying. 

“All must refrain from all violence. Authorities have a particular responsibility,” Bildt tweeted.

Meanwhile David Lidington, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain for Europe Affairs, said he was shocked at the beating of former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko during clashes in Kyiv, and wished him a speedy recovery.

He also believes that all parties in the conflict must be restrained, and the government should provide full details of what happened and why.

Jeffrey Pyatt, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, stressed that violence against Yevromaydan must be condemned and the “national dialogue and consensus can draw a path to Europe.”

Earlier, on the night of 10 /11 January “Berkut” beat Yuriy Lutsenko and at least three other people next to Svyatoshin precinct station house in Kyiv.

According to preliminary reports, 11 protesters were injured . The exact number of victims is not officially published, though there are notes that about two dozen employees of “Berkut “received various injuries.”

The confrontation began with blocking of Berkut’s buses  next to the Ministry of the Interior office near Ploshcha Perehoney,  as these police officers, were thought to have been involved in beating people at the Kyiv Sviatoshynscourthouse.

On Friday, the court sentenced the “Vasyl’kiv terrorists” to 6 years imprisonment.

The police in the rigid form took the accused out of the courtroom. Dissension started. The police started beating the audience. Then clashes continued outside the court.

The original article can be found on the Ukrainska Pravda website at:

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/01/11/7009321/